Wiccas

[Hemel]

Okay, questions I've been wanting to ask. For those who are Wiccans - why did you take it up? What does it mean to you and what does it provide that other paths do not?

(N' the same to those who are pagans but not Wiccans? )

[hectorberlioz]

Originally posted by Hemel
Okay, questions I've been wanting to ask. For those who are Wiccans - why did you take it up?

I was wondering about that myself.
mostly I think its because they're bored. they want to try something that'll make them feel powerful...and to get attention.
but those are just my opinions.

[Starr Polish]

Not completely, HerctorBerlioz. I am not a Wiccan now, but I was very interested in the religion a few years ago, and those weren't really all of the reasons.

Yeah, I was bored at the time, but I was also researching other religions. I found Wicca appealing mostly because it is nature based (I love the outdoors and the Earth), and most branches involve a Goddess or a Lady, as oposed to a male deity. (though there is often a God/Lord involved as well).

I never really attempted any spells, but I still got very interested in the religion. The spells are more of a prayer than a way of receiving power (those who do try to use spells as a way to gain "mystical" powers don't know much about the religion). To say casting spells is like trying to gain power is like saying that praying is an attempt at gaining power.

My main interest in it was because I felt no presence from God, and I felt that I had chosen the wrong path. I was having a hard time with myself and I felt abandoned. I had just discovered Wicca and it was very appealing, and it is in it's own way very beautiful and interesting.

edit: Also, things like reincarnation and receiving strength from spirits within the Earth (somethign I stumbled on, not sure of how accurate of all Wiccan branches this is) seems to make sense. All of the world works in cycles (water, nitrogen, etc.), so why not life itself?

[Coney II]

Wicca......a lil' history, a lil' explanation and a lil' reading for the curious <--- linkage

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Thanks for the site, Coney (haven't seen you around for a while); very informative, and the humour was good too; I especially liked the Unitarian one.

[Nurvingiel]

I actually didn't get very much from that site, except this excellent quote:

"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you -- to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think." -- Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon, p.453.

[Lalaith_Elf]

i'm sorta wiccan.... it's a branch of pagan, and im a dedicated pagan and darn proud of it to

[elvishfaerie3088]

Power to the wiccans! Magickal power....that is lol.

[Lalaith_Elf]

lol
i think it's funny, cos alot of peeps dis me at skool for being pagan, and they call themselves cristian, without actually realising that stuff like easter originated from pagans

[elvishfaerie3088]

i totally agree with you on that, and all hallow's eve the best holiday of the year, like come on! And them thinking we worship the devil, who's not opened minded, christians...

[Lalaith_Elf]

i know
becomming pagan is the best thing that happened.... well close to best
it's just going back to my roots as well..... paganism was here LLLLLOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGG before christianity

[elvishfaerie3088]

i know, they just can't accept anyone who's different from them, who had different values and especially beliefts, everyone likes to be protected by the invisible all knowing supreme "god" figure, unlike most pagans/wiccans who are free to see the world as it is, while christians cower when they see the world for what it really is.

[Lalaith_Elf]

exactly!!!

u get to apretiate everything for what it is.... nature and the elements etc.
what has other religions created??? wars

but then its up to every individual to decied their belifs and i respect that and think its cool that everyone isn't constricted to one belief

[Hemel]

Thanks I'm rather ambivalent right now about paganism - I suppose because right now I see it as a bit like swapping one set of beliefs and actions for another, like ... we stop thinking about, for example, the Christian God, and think about Isis, or do rituals to the Morrigan. I also think there's a fair amount of reinvention going around - as with, for example, the 'Celts', or changing ideas of magic (don't push me too far on this, though .. I'm still learning! ) As well, I think maybe it's perhaps a reactive thing as well - a sort of idea, maybe, of back to nature, so like a reaction against mechanisation and urbanisation, or maybe a reaction against patriarchy. Or maybe more of an individualism - desire to be different, not like the perceived mainstream ...

None of that means there isn't something in it, nor that it isn't important and meaningful, nor that there aren't very sincere and loving people who are pagans, and deep thinkers, and very intelligent people too (because there are, lots of them! ) But I seem somewhere to be missing the point. So can anyone explain to me what it gives, what it feels like ... like is there a sense of peace, or oneness, or release from fear, or self-destiny and determination, or clearer vision, or what? What, if you like, is so magic(k) about it?

[Eowyn, Lady of Rohan]

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
I think by asking for sources of information, she is saying she is not experienced. Good for you for asking a question, and wanting to learn more.
I'm not Wiccan, but I would still like to learn more about it. Not necessarily spells, but just generally how it works, and what it's like.
Cheers, Nurv

Me too. I am not a wiccan, but i want to learn more about it.

[Nurvingiel]

What exactly does "pagan" mean? I always thought it was an ambiguous word that meant "not Christian". I don't think it means the same thing as Wiccan.

[hectorberlioz]

WRONG!: easter did not originate from pagans.
I'll give you a little history lesson in a bit, right now i gottag go was hthe dishes...
adieu.

[Starr Polish]

Lalaith_Elf and elvishfaerie3088:

You are setting pretty bad examples for your religion. Saying that your religion is the only "laid back" one and that ALL OTHER religions have done nothing but start wars seems extremely prejudiced and close-minded. I've never heard of a United Unitarian or Ba'hai movement to start war. I could be wrong, of course.

The fact that you say people who call themselves "Christians" (not cristian, I'm sorry, but if you're going to rag on a religion please spell it correctly) are not open-minded makes you look a tad close-minded yourselves. Also, knowing the exact origins of a religious holiday does not make someone not devoted to their religion, it just means they are not very up to date on their history. But, on that tangent, All Hallows Eve was originally a Christian/Puritan holiday.

I am a Christian, and I am especially appreciative of all of the elements and the earth, because I believe they are the creation of God, and thus are supposed to be treated with respect and awe. I am also adamantly against war, especially when it comes to exposing others to my religion, because more likey than not victims of said war will be turned away from my beliefs instead of led to them.

And I know some very violent, rude, and close-minded Wiccans in real life.

(Easter was a pagan god/goddess [can't remember which] of fertility, often symbolized by an egg or rabbit, because they are symbols of, well fertility. There was a pagan festival in the spring to honor Easter, and this date was adopted by early Christians as the celebration of the rebirth/resurrection (sp) of Christ [also symbolized by the egg] to help spread their beliefs. This is as much as I know).

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by hectorberlioz
WRONG!: easter did not originate from pagans.

Um. Yes it did.

Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some trappings of modern Easter celebrations, however, pre-date Christianity and have ancient pagan roots.

Ancient Fertility Goddess


Easter takes its name from Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility. The Phoenicians knew her as Astarte, sister and consort of Baal, a God worshipped in much of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Some of the ancient Hebrews also worshipped Baal.

Astarte spread through Europe, becoming Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, fertility, and the rising sun. The Old English word for Easter, "Eastre" refers to Ostara.

Around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe realized that the time of the crucifixion of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/easterintro1.html

[Nurvingiel]

Originally posted by Nurvingiel
What exactly does "pagan" mean? I always thought it was an ambiguous word that meant "not Christian". I don't think it means the same thing as Wiccan.

This may be a moot point (since I am quoting myself...) but I am confused on the apparent interchangeability of "pagan" and "Wiccan". I thought they were two different things. Any thoughts?